This is a TEDx done by Jacob Barnett 11 years old, diagnosed with Autism.  He offers a fresh look on the purpose of education, and the benefits of education that puts the child first. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  I feel that working with my son with “special needs” forces me to constantly review the material that I make available, how I make it available and check my agenda at the door.  Constantly re negotiating the chatter in my head and seek to aid him in finding his passion, or great work that he feels engaged in. I seems obvious  that not all individuals seek in the same way or through the same mental process, and for or my intense and emotionally sensitive child, I would hope that there is a place for his kind of passion, his brand of being in the world.

If the goal perhaps is to use your gift to its most joyful proportion while being of service to yourself and others,  perhaps might find a wealth of ability instead of a rising disability. Perhaps we miss what innovative and unexpected possibilities are available in the absence of an overwhelming pressure to perform within the agreed upon parameters of success,  and more importantly what is missing is evident in the mental health of our communities but is mostly ignored as though it did not exist.   For now I trust that my passion is somehow wrapped up in my son’s discovery of his own and hope we will eventually find our way, or at lease find something worth our joyful efforts. Forget what you know – knowledge in a fresh perspective by Jacob Barnett | Education Revolution | Alternative Education Resource Organization.